Archive for CES Cranial Electro Stimulation

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease that occurs when the immune system mistakenly starts attacking healthy joints, resulting in symptoms that may include pain, swelling, stiffness, sometimes numbness, sometimes loss of physical function. There is a plethora of pills for dealing with RA, all having possible major side effects.

Micro-Electro-Therapy (MET) has several applications, but one in particular I have found to be beneficial for me personally is the ability to use MET for reducing joint pain instead of reaching for the ibuprofen. I already take enough medication for my RA, and MET is a nice alternative to taking any more.

My session of choice is the Sub-Delta program (Feeling Better category, session #3) on my Delight Pro. I place two adhesive pads each on opposite sides of the joint that is particularly bothersome, each snapping together with the electrode cable that connects to my mind machine. I then press ‘Start’ and sit back for 24 minutes.

MET reduces pain by generating micro currents much lower than a TENS unit, and this Sub-Delta session (0.5-1Hz) gives me several more hours of relief from joint pain and stiffness than over-the-counter pain relievers. MET works with the DAVID Delight Pro, Alert Pro and Oasis Pro systems by Mindalive Inc, using the CES port for the micro current stimulation.

If you are seeking alternative methods for dealing with pain associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) consider using MET.

MET has many applications, including relief from joint pain, tendonitis and muscle fatigue. The MET Kit is inexpensive, easy to use and can be used separately or as an adjunct to clinical treatment at home by those in need of physical pain relief. Dr. Daniel L. Kirsch, Ph.D., wrote an excellent tutorial on Microcurrent Electrical Therapy that should be considered a must read by anyone interested in incorporating MET into their pain-relief regiment.

The MET Kit comes with electrode cable with snaps, thirty adhesive patches (that connect to the electrode cable) and retails for less than $50. Extra adhesive patches are available separately for under $25.

Although electro-type medicine has been around for over a thousand years, developments in electronics and new research has seen this technology grow at a terrific rate. Microcurrent Electro Therapy (MET) is very different from the more traditional TENS because MET produces its benefits in part on a cellular level. MET has longer lasting effects than TENS. MET is also referred to as Micro-TENS.

The idea behind MET is based, in part, on Arndt’s Law. Arndt’s Law states that weak stimuli excite physiological activity, whereas medium-strength stimuli will encourage it and strong stimuli will suppress it.

Micro-TENS and MET are meant to be used directly along a muscle to break down knots and fatigue in muscle. It is a slow frequency (like CES), but the pulses are short. The standard protocol has been to use a fixed frequency of 0.5 Hz. However, Heffernan (1997) found that randomized stimulation from 0.5-3 Hz produced superior results. The Oasis Pro uses dual-randomized low-frequency stimulation, as does the Delight Pro and Alert Pro systems. When MET is delivered at around 500 micro-amps in the 0.5 to 3 Hz range it appears to be most effective for treating physical pain.

CES stands for Cranial-Electro-Stimulation. Over the years CES has been used by individuals who are trying to end their drug and/or alcohol addictions. It has proven effective as an adjunctive modality to professional medical treatment and counseling, often serving as a tool for at-home use while receiving out-patient addiction treatment.

CES has helped thousands of addicts overcome their habit. Clinical research over the past 50 years has shown that CES quiets the mind, boosts ability to relax, helps with sleep and improves mental clarity. These four benefits are extremely important for the prevention of drug and alcohol relapse.

The Oasis Pro has several optional features to enhance your CES experience, and Mind Alive, Inc. has included Oasis Pro technology into their light and sound mind machines, particularly the Delight Pro and for those with PTSD, ADD and ADHD the Alert Pro. All three mind machines are on sale at Mindmachines.com, including free Fedex 2 Day delivery for orders shipping to the United States and Canada.

Ever have a thought about feeling like a beer just pop into your mind? That used to be called stinking thinking. Can’t do it. Forgetaboutit. Move on.

Then I met “Ben”. Ben has been sober almost as long as I have (30 years) and even though we are sober alcoholics our conversations always include reminiscing about drunken times. We both end up wondering how we managed to stay alive. Most sober alcoholics can relate to that.

Well, for several years Ben has been on a quest to find a non-alcohol, non-drug method for generating that blissful sensation when drinking that first half of beer. He figured that if there were something that could duplicate that first half a beer feeling then there would be no need to drink. Sounded logical.

Ben found the way. He uses CES. That’s short for Cranial-Electro-Stimulation. Ben recommends the Oasis Pro by Mind Alive, Inc. It’s a small little technical marvel that generates pulsed brainwave frequencies via two earclips that go on dry. No paste or saline solution necessary.

Oasis CES Pro

The Oasis Pro contains several pulsed brainwave frequencies, including a 100Hz setting. But Ben found that the Oasis Pro’s sub-Delta session (ramping between .5Hz to 3Hz) set at one-half the duty cycle completes his quest. Ben has found a healthy substitute for achieving that “Half Beer Buzz”.

Going into the hospital for an operation causes my blood pressure to rise. A lot. Waking up in the intensive care unit after an operation, I’m struck by the realization that mentally, emotionally and physically I am in shock. My body is whacked, with IV lines in my neck, wrist and back of hand. The ICU nurses say multiple IV lines are necessary in case of emergency. OK. But it sucks.

I gradually become aware of what’s going on around me. Thank goodness for medication! Then I hear it… someone moaning. Constantly. Their moans are not quiet. I press the call button and ask the nurse what’s wrong with the patient making all that noise. Give them some pain medication, help them, do anything to shut them up! I’m told they are medicated, are being taken care of, its just some people are moaners. WTF?

Nurses are incredibly compassionate people. Normally I try to be, but after major surgery that’s not going to happen. Like everyone else stuck in intensive care, I have to listen to that patient’s endless moaning. Its not right, and that’s when it hits me: moaners should be ‘housed’ in their own separate hospital wing so the rest of us can concentrate on our own recuperation and not have to friggin listen to them. Great idea, just never going to happen.

My wife comes in, we share our thoughts and concerns, and before she leaves she unpacks my DAVID Delight Pro. We tell my nurse what it is, what I’ll be using it for, and she asks if I brought more than one. I use the Mood Brightener session #2 and feel immediate relief. The headphones block out the moaning, the eyeset blocks out having to look at the IV lines snaking into my body, and I relax into uninterrupted sleep. Not only is my mind machine helping me, but as my nurses later remarked, it helped them, too. I was an easy patient.

DAVID Delight Pro Mind Machine including CES

Tuning out moaners is just one example of why mind machines are so valuable to have when you are in a hospital and are recuperating after surgery. I was hospitalized five days before my surgeon approved my release and I used my Delight Pro multiple times every day. It helped me focus on the things I wanted to concentrate on and cope with the stuff that would otherwise make me anxious.

Every hospital should allow patients access to mind machines. Even moaners.

Outpatient procedures happen. So do in-patient, only that’s worse because we feel like crap and can’t really do anything about it.

Just thinking about what is approaching, making lists of all the stuff at work and around the house that we have to do beforehand, can arouse our anxiety level. That’s not even counting appointments for blood work, x-rays, EKG, pulmonary exams, ct-scan or pre-op physical from our primary care physician. And what about your Living Trust’s advanced healthcare directive? Anxiety loves to get in our heads during times like this!

And we need to approach the whole thing with a positive mental attitude.

I have found four specific light and sound brainwave frequency sessions on my DAVID Delight Pro with CES by Mindalive that are definitely helping me. I want to stay feeling balanced, focused, and aware that my spouse is also feeling anxious. The Delight Pro has twenty-five different sessions, and these four sessions: SMR (for relaxed attention), Alpha & Theta for sleep (to help break up distressing thoughts that interfere with me going to sleep), and two Mood Boosters – one for alpha brainwave symmetry and the other for alpha front end stimulation to reduce anxiety have proven most effective for me. I use the color white for my visual stimulation as that activates my cortex into generating quite a colorful display for my mind to follow. Add the headphones, choosing the music from my iTunes library and getting comfortable and I am ready to spend 30 mind entraining minutes shedding any anxious thoughts trying to barge their way into my consciousness.

DAVID Delight Pro w/ CES

I’ve used my Delight Pro for past medical procedures and am using it now. I got mine from Mindmachines.com and paid less than $500 dollars for it. It keeps me relaxed, which helps everyone around me stay relaxed. Like I wrote in the beginning – medical procedures happen. Focus on yourself, focus on your family (especially the one who will be taking care of you during recuperation!) and forget about anxiety. High anxiety levels just screw things up.

People who are restless by nature have a difficult time learning to meditate. Resolutions are made, and decisions to stick with them, but they don’t really last very long. Sitting still for an hour a day for meditation is alot to ask and is beyond many’s ability to sit still. How does an individual overcome figeting and restlessness that is seemingly ingrained?

Turning restlessness into peace and patience is actually easy to attain. Try meditation sessions with a mindmachine. Accessorize by having both multi-color and open-eye lightframes for sitting or walking meditation sessions. A mindmachine can gently lead you into deep states of meditative awareness, without any conscious effort on your part. Mindmachines are often referred to as light and sound machines and the best system for overcoming that ingrained sensation of restlessness is the DAVID Delight Pro with CES.

The DAVID Delight Pro with CES combined with audio recordings you enjoy listening to during meditation can turn your mind from constant restless thoughts to the depths of the theta brainwave state in minutes. The ability to be able to relax, to finally experience rhythmic breathing and inner awareness would be a valuable tool in your quest to overcome restlessness and enjoy meditation.

Abstract: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the aftermath of trauma. Trauma spans a diverse spectrum of unfortunate life experiences such as sexual abuse, assault, car accidents, war, and natural disasters. PTSD occurs when the inflicted can no longer mentally cope with the situation. Following trauma, permanent changes occur within the brain that increases “racy-headedeness,” guardedeness, anxiety, depression, insomnia, plus memory and cognitive impairments. The behavioral aftermath of PTSD also typically involves increased aggression and drug and alcohol abuse. Audio-visual entrainment (AVE) has been shown to reduce anxiety, insomnia and improve coping for police officers and military. AVE has also been shown to reduce depression and anxiety among vets with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

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Electroencephalographic (EEG) Changes from Chronic Fear and Trauma

The increased norepinephrine and cortisol levels in those with PTSD have an effect on EEG activity. The bulk of Quantitative EEG (QEEG) studies involving PTSD, suggest that most often there is reduced alpha activity and increased beta activity, coincident with high arousal (Jokic’-Begic’ & Begic’, 2003), and alpha asymmetry with heightened right-frontal activity in those who have developed depression (Gordon, et al, 2010; Rabe, et al., 2008) and elevated beta and theta activity (Begic, et al., (2001).

Many people, in the aftermath of trauma, also succumb to affective disorders. Affective disorders pertain to disorders of emotion, including depression, anxiety and mania. Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder by far. About 14% of the American population will experience clinical depression in their lifetime. Of these, an alarming 15% will unfortunately commit suicide (Rosenfeld, 1997). The helplessness of depression is not a quiet, passive state; rather it is an active, all-consuming dreadfulness! The reality of this situation in the military is exemplified in The New England Journal of Medicine; “Combat’s Toll on a Soldier’s Psyche,” by COL Charles Hoge’s, MD , Chief of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, US Army (Hoge, 2004).

Shealy, et al, (1992) studied blood-serum levels of five neurochemicals (melatonin, norepinephrine, B-endorphin, serotonin, cholinesterase) in depressives. He found that 92% of depressives had abnormal levels in at least one of the five neurochemicals tested and 60% showed three or more abnormalities. In over half of the depressives, he found either elevated or low levels of norepinephrine/cholinesterase ratios. He also found magnesium deficiencies in 80% of depressed patients and 100% of those with depression were deficient in taurine, an amino acid found in meat and fish, which is used to help absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins. His work supports the notion of dietary supplements for the treatment of depression.

The nucleus accumbens within the forebrain is the main reward and pleasure center and is particularly sensitive to dopamine, serotonin and endorphins (Ratey, 2002). Recent research has shown that those with suicide ideation are also low in serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine along with hippocampal shrinkage as the result of chronic sympathetic and adrenal (cortisol) activation (Ezzel, 2003). Stimulant drugs such as amphetamines and cocaine produce a sense of pleasure by changing the concentration of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens.

Arango and Mann (Oquendo, et al., 2003) observed with positron emission tomography (PET) scans, a direct correlation between ventral pre-frontal hypofunction levels of serotonin, also in the pre-frontal cortex, and the severity of violence of the chosen suicide method. Slightly lower levels may produce death by an overdose of sleeping pills while extreme deficits will lead to the person jumping off of a cliff or blowing his/her brains out.

Serotonin depletion has been well implicated as a driving mechanism for suicide, where both genetic factors and a string of upsetting life events combine to trigger suicide (Ezzel, 2003). In sectioned brains of deceased suicide victims, it is clear that they have fewer than average neurons in the orbital-prefrontal cortex. A study by Chaouloff (2000) reinforced the hypothesis that the HPA axis, in reaction to stress, affects serotonin neurotransmission, partly through the actions of corticoids.

Violence and suicide are related. Aggression is aimed at others when there is a combination of low serotonin and high norepinephrine, whereas aggression is aimed inward (increased suicidal ideation) when there is a combination of low serotonin and low norepinephrine (Kotulak, 1997).

Antidepressants and Electroconvulsive Therapy in the Treatment of Depression

Several studieshave examined cerebral blood flow (CBF) and metabolism using positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) analysis (Rubin, Sacheim, Nobler, & Moeller, 1994). Functional imaging studies are controversial as they have shown confounding (both high and low) irregularities in metabolism, primarily in the basal ganglia, prefrontal and limbic areas that tend to normalize in those who respond to medication. In some cases, sleep deprivation reduces depression and is tied to reductions in abnormally high CBF within the anterior cingulate gyrus (Wu, et al., 1992).

Antidepressant medication has been shown to affect capillary permeability and the brain-blood barrier (Preskorn, Raichle, & Hartman, 1982). With electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), the electrodes are placed for whole-brain or right-side shocks. ECT has been widely used to treat depression. CBF reductions follow shortly after exposure to ECT, even with people who already have hypo-perfusion of CBF. For depression, ECT is generally administered to the right side (Rubin, et al., 1994).

Right-side CFB reduction would help offset the alpha asymmetry, recognized in the QEEG (quantitative electroencephalography) field to be associated with depression and disturbed mood (Rosenfeld, 1997; Siever, 2003) by shutting down right frontal lobe function rather than boosting left frontal lobe function. This may explain why those on anti-depressants are troubled so much with foggy-headedness and cognitive impairments and one of the reasons why pilots and special duty personnel (i.e., Nuclear Surety Program) are medically suspended from duty while on antidepressants. Rubin concluded that both antidepressants and ECT (even with clinical improvements) might further affect regions in the direction of abnormality, not normalization.

Conclusion

The fear response involves the reduction of serotonin and activation of cerebral norepinephrine, and the adrenals as the threatened prepare for battle. However, severe traumas can cause a dysfunctional and never-ending activation of the fear response, which fatigues key neurotransmitters and the adrenals as it manifests into PTSD. The implications of PTSD include brain damage, a combination of family and societal violence, alcohol and drug abuse, loss of wages and increased suicide ideation. No adequate drug or medical treatment of PTSD exists today. Often, pharmaceutical agents and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may alleviate the depression, but usually drive the brain further into dysregulation, leaving the patient feeling emotionally numb and struggling with increased cognitive and social impairments. A new non-drug and non-ECT approach needs to be considered.